


The Knight, the Warlock, and the Bastet

by Onehelluvapilot



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e09 Lady of the Lake, F/M, Freya Lives (Merlin), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Protective Lancelot (Merlin), Protective Merlin (Merlin), Tags May Change, might make this an ot3, not graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: Lancelot returned to Camelot after rescuing Gwen from Hengist and Arthur convinced his father to let him become a knight. How does his presence in Camelot change the events when Freya is brought to town? Will be Soft tm.
Relationships: Freya & Lancelot (Merlin), Freya/Merlin (Merlin), Lancelot & Merlin (Merlin)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

"Do I need my sword?" Lancelot asked as soon as Merlin knocked on his door in the middle of the night. In the four months since he'd returned to Camelot after helping rescue Guinevere from Hengist, the warlock had knocked on his door a number of times to request his help on some magical matter, always highly illegal and usually dangerous. Well, dangerous on top of the already present risk of execution.

"It couldn't hurt," Merlin agreed. Lancelot grabbed his belt with the scabbard already attached to it. He didn't ask for any further details about what they were doing until they'd already snuck out of the castle. "There's a druid girl in a cage that we're going to go rescue," the warlock explained. "I need you to watch the bounty hunter and make sure he doesn't come back while I'm breaking her out."

"You sure I can't just pick a fight to distract him?" Lancelot asked, a dangerous look in his eyes.

"That would make you too memorable. It's better that he doesn't even notice us until we're gone."

"I suppose you're right," he sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't happy with letting the man get away with putting people in cages, especially since he'd been imprisoned and forced to fight in one himself. He stood guard at the door to the tavern while Merlin used his magic to break open the lock to the cage where the druid girl cowered in the corner. She was beautiful, despite her raggedy dress and the dirt, but all he could focus on was how scared she looked.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," the warlock tried to reassure her. With Lance on guard, he could afford to take a little more time breaking her free than he otherwise would have been able to, and so he extended a hand and waited for her to lower her shackled wrists into it before using his magic to snap the iron chain between them and the one holding them to the wall of the cage. He didn't want to risk snapping the locks on the manacles themselves, since the spell could easily miss and break bone instead of metal. Her narrow chafed wrists had been through enough.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here, huh?" He said with a reassuring smile. The girl took his arm for stability as she clambered out of the cage with him. She stumbled a little, probably due to her legs being cramped from being folded up for so long, but Lancelot was instantly there to steady her as well.

"Easy, I'm here to help too," he reassured her when she saw his sword and tried to yank free. He quickly let go of her. Despite the chill of the night air, he happily shrugged his jacket off to drape it around her shoulders. It would have been better if she could put it on, since that would do more to disguise her and cover the triskelion tattoo on her forearm, but the manacles around her wrists were too wide to fit through the sleeve. Hopefully the darkness would be enough to keep it hidden, and with luck no one would look at her too closely.

"We need to move," Merlin said, glancing at the tavern door. The bounty hunter could come out at any time, and it would be best if they were far away before he realized that his prisoner had escaped. The girl nodded, and took Merlin's hand, her other one clutching at the jacket to keep it closed around her. They walked quickly, with the girl having to jog a little to keep up hislin's long legs. Lancelot brought up the rear, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword in case of danger. Not many people were out and about at this time of night, and those who were paid them no mind. One obvious thief eyed them from the shadows, but a dangerous glare from Lance dissuaded him, along with the obvious fact that none of them were wealthy or likely to have any coin on them at all. The only trouble was when they got closer to the castle and the guards that patrolled it.

"Why are we  _ here _ ?" The girl asked in a shaking voice as they ducked into an alley. Merlin winced with sympathy. He supposed it was a little inexplicable why they would take someone with magic into the citadel, where the magic-hating king lived.

"I'm a knight," Lancelot explained. "One of the good ones. You'll be safe hiding in my rooms until we can gather enough supplies to help you get safely out of Camelot. And no one will think to look for you here." He knew that was what had helped keep Merlin safe for over a year now; the prince had assumed no one with magic would be foolish enough to work for him, so he didn't look right under his own nose.

"How are we going to get her inside though?" Merlin asked. They had snuck out when the moon was still low, but now it hung high over head and illuminated the whole courtyard. With it no longer bathed in shadow, it would be nearly impossible for them to cross it undetected.

"I have an idea," Lancelot said, though his face was pinched unhappily. "But I don't like it very much."

"Well that's encouraging," Merlin huffed. "What is it?"

"I can pretend that she, you," he turned to the girl and corrected himself, realizing that he shouldn't leave her out of the conversation, "are a girl that's coming to my room."

"That's what I am," she replied in confusion. Lance winced.

"Yeah, but I meant like… for a different reason." He watched as horrified realization bloomed over both her and Merlin's face. They were both so young and innocent, he realized, each clearly less than twenty years.

"N-no, not again, I can't-" she stuttered.

"I won't actually," he hastened to reassure her. "I would never, if that wasn't what you wanted. And I won't let the guards touch you or anything either." She still looked a little unsure, but nodded. "Okay. I'll need you to look a little less scared though, um… What's your name?"

"Freya."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lancelot."

"And I'm Merlin," the warlock added.

"Now, brave face Freya," Lance encouraged before very gently looping an arm around her shoulders. She was short enough to really tuck in against his side, especially when she grabbed onto the back of his shirt with a small, tight fist. "Merlin, you can find your own way in, I presume?" The servant nodded. "Okay. We'll see you up at my chambers then." With that, the pretend couple meandered as casually as they could out of the alley and across the courtyard. They weren't challenged until they reached the door.

"What's your business arriving here so late?" One of the guards asked.

"I'm simply returning home," Lancelot said. "I'm a knight."

"Yes, we guessed that from your sword," the other guard said testily. He was obviously tired and not in a good mood because of it. "As one, you should know that the doors are supposed to remain closed after midnight. What was your business out?"

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you could guess," Lancelot replied, nodding his head down towards Freya.

"Do you normally bring a sword to the brothel?"

"I was getting it polished. Now, if you'd let me in, I might be able to get my other sword polished, if you know what I mean." Saying something so crude left a poor taste in his mouth, but he knew how rough men talked from his time among them, and how to convince them.

"Can we have a go afterwards?" The guard asked with a snicker.

"I'm afraid my lady here is a bit particular about who she takes to bed," he deflected. What he wanted to do was scream at them that she was a person, not a thing to be passed around, but that would rather blow his cover.

"Then why is she going with you?" The guard teased, but he turned to open the door.

"My thanks," Lancelot said, with politeness he felt they were rather undeserving of. He guided Freya quickly inside, making sure his arm around her shoulders kept the coat up around her. They hurried as quickly and quietly as possible up to Lancelot's room, seeing no one but a maid, and the knight quickly shut and locked the door behind him. He let go of Freya immediately, pulling away as if burned.

"I'm so sorry I had to say those things," he apologized. He stepped back towards the door away from her, hands raised. Freya too backed up away from him, looking confused and shaking slightly. "I didn't realize that they would ask so many questions. We, _ I, _ should have thought of a different way in where I didn't have to imply those things about you."

"It's okay," she said, though her voice was shaky. "You… you're trying to help." The knight nodded.

"I'm still sorry," he replied. "And I promise, neither of those guards are getting anywhere near you." He was interrupted from trying to apologize further by a soft knock on the door. Waiting for a moment, he only opened it after Merlin knocked in the coded pattern the two of them had developed.

"Hi!" He greeted them when he was let inside. "Sorry if I smell a little; had to break in through the stables."

"You can borrow some of my clothes if you want," Lance immediately offered. "Both of you can, actually," he added, with a glance at Freya's ragged and dirty dress. "Though I suppose you already have my coat."

The girl shrugged it off and instantly held it out to try to pass it back to him. "No no, that's not what I meant," he quickly reassured her. "You should keep it. You look cold, and it suits you." She clutched it back towards herself in obvious relief. The movements jostled the chains attached to the manacles still clamped tight around her wrist.

"The cuffs, I completely forgot!" Merlin said, smacking his own forehead. "I can try to use the same spell on them that I did for the cage door, but there's a chance that I could hurt you with it, or if we wait until tomorrow I can borrow some blacksmithing tools from our friend Gwen and get them off that way. It's your choice."

"Nothing is ever my choice," Freya said, half bitterly and half incredulously.

"This is," Lance reassured her. "As is all of this. Once you're settled, I just need to grab a few things and then I'll go stay in Merlin's bed so you can have the room to yourself. You can change into any of my clothes you want, if the manacles aren't too much in the way, and my bed is probably a lot more comfortable than the floor of that cage. There's no food in here but I can bring you some in the morning."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Freya asked suspiciously.

"Because other people weren't," Lancelot said simply. "Do you want Merlin to try to get the cuffs off now?" After a moment of pause, she shook her head. The men, who both stayed back by the door, could understand that she might not want them too near her and nodded.

"In that case, take this," Merlin said, pulling off his neckerchief and passing it to her. "You can pack it around the cuffs so they don't chafe, and I'll get the tools I need to get them all the way off by tomorrow night at the very latest."

"Thanks," Freya said. Lancelot gathered up some fresh clothes and his chainmail so he wouldn't have to come back to his room to change before training.

"I'll bring you breakfast in the morning," Merlin promised before they took their leave. "Goodnight."


	2. Chapter 2

"Meal fit for a prince!" Merlin announced when Freya let him into Lancelot's room in the morning. He'd stolen it when he'd brought Arthur breakfast, swapping out the sausage, cheese, and eggs for an apple and a slice of bread he'd scavenged from his own rooms. The prince had not been happy about it, or about being called fat, and the servant had been assigned to polish all the swords in the armory as punishment, but it was worth it to get Freya something good to eat. She was so skinny and he wondered when was the last time she'd had a decent meal. This concern was only reaffirmed when she practically snatched the food from his hands.

"Thank you," she muttered only after her mouth was already full. She had pulled on a pair of Lancelot's pants beneath her dress, but evidently hadn't managed to find a shirt that fit on around the shackles.

"You're welcome," Merlin said cheerfully. "I haven't been able to get the tools from Gwen yet to get the shackles off, but I will tonight, I promise. Now, I have to go before I'm late and Arthur yells at me, but I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

Freya nodded. "It's… I'm glad you're here," he said awkwardly before retreating. He practically skipped down to Gwen's forge in the lower town, only realizing once he got there that he didn't have a cover story thought out. His friend spotted him and waved him into the house before he had a chance to think.

"Merlin? What brings you in here?" She asked.

"Um, do you have any tools that can break open shackles?"

"Well, yes. A chisel and hammer would work. What do you need it for?"

"Um, Lancelot needs them."

"Why?"

"We don't have the key."

"Why was he handcuffed in the first place?" Gwen asked. Merlin's mind completely blanked out on an answer, but thankfully she was able to fill in the blank. Her eyes went wide in surprise and embarrassment. "Oh. I did hear that he was with a girl last night."

"Girl?! No no, there was no girl," Merlin quickly deflected. "I was with him last night." The best lies were made around a grain of truth, and he  _ had _ been in bed with Lancelot last night.

"Oh," Gwen said again, looking both more and less uncomfortable somehow. "Anyway, I'll go get you the tools you need now."

Merlin blushed fiercely but did nothing to disabuse her of the notion she clearly had in mind. He and Lancelot weren't courting, but neither of them minded much when people thought they were, and if the lie kept Freya safe all the better. He wasn't quite sure how the knight would react to Gwen thinking he's into bondage though…

The blacksmith returned with the chisel and hammer. "So to use this, you'll want to put the chisel where the two sides of the cuff meet on the lock side, in the crevice, and then hit it. It should pop open. Got it?"

"I think so?"

"Do you want me to come do it?" She offered. Merlin could hurt Lance if he did it wrong and the chisel slipped.

"No!" The manservant quickly replied. "Lancelot, well, he isn't exactly dressed." He leaned into the lie a little further, hoping the knight wouldn't mind too horribly much. 

"Oh, um, just be careful then I guess," Gwen said.

"I will be. Thank you for the tools." He nodded to her before hurrying away. In too much of a rush to get back to Freya, he forgot to keep an eye out for Arthur, who had just finished morning training.

"Merlin! Shouldn't you be in the armory? Or have you finished already?" The prince taunted when the servant ran into him and a group of knights in one of the hallways of the castle.

"No, sorry sire," he said. "I'll go finish it now."

"I'll help," Lancelot offered.

"That isn't proper," Arthur scolded. "Knights shouldn't do servant's work, especially not punishments."

"Well then, I'll keep him company," he compromised. He knew Arthur was just trying to look out for him; being seen helping a servant would remind people that he's a commoner instead of nobility by birth. And he doubted that Merlin actually needed help, not when he could magic the swords to polish themselves. The servant had been trying to catch his eye, likely because they needed to talk about Freya.

Arthur nodded his acquiescence and he and the other knights left to go get lunch while Lance and Merlin stayed behind.

"Here," the warlock said when they were alone, pulling a hammer and chisel from his pocket. How he had fit them both in there, the knight had no idea. Magic, probably. "I really have to get to work or else I'll be in trouble, but could you take these and go get Freya free?"

"Of course," Lancelot agreed, and Merlin explained how to do it before he left to go back to his room and help the girl taking shelter in it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated :D


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